DOING MORE OF WHAT MATTERS

As a large, listed company, RCL FOODS has the reach and the resources to make a considerable impact when it comes to corporate social investment (CSI). But we wanted to achieve more than that – which is why, in 2017, we established our DO MORE FOUNDATION.

“There was a strategic intention to position our CSI agenda for increased collaboration,” explains Gcina Zondi, Chairperson of the DO MORE FOUNDATION. “RCL FOODS was deliberate in saying, ‘We can continue doing what we do on our own, or we can do more by seeking more funding and more capacity.’ That led to RCL FOODS creating this Foundation as a registered non-profit organisation (NPO), which allows other partners to come on board and augment the impact.”

“If the DO MORE FOUNDATION was just a CSI department within RCL FOODS, it would be very inwardly focused,” Gcina reflects. “Instead, we’ve created a brand that invites external partners to work with us, enabling us to achieve scale in terms of reaching and supporting our beneficiaries. These beneficiaries include vulnerable young children and under-resourced communities around our operations.”

The DO MORE FOUNDATION facilitates community projects focused on young children (nutrition, early learning and parent support) and families (enterprise development).

“The first five years are critical to any person’s development,” says Gcina. “And in those definitive years, nutrition is of primary importance because healthy food stimulates early learning. RCL FOODS manufactures products that have the necessary proteins and nutrients, so this is a very appropriate space for the business to operate in.

We are proud to produce specially formulated DO MORE Porridge for the Foundation, which is distributed to thousands of young children each day to help them learn.

“ECD has a multiplier effect,” Gcina says. “If you intervene at an early childhood stage, you can prevent further developmental problems later in life.”

And by supporting parents and caregivers through enterprise development projects, the Foundation is able to help generate sustainable income for households with young children and create job opportunities in its local communities.

The DO MORE FOUNDATION has experienced
significant growth since it was established in 2017. Over the years its community development programmes have been scaled from three to 15 communities, and over 30 000 young children are receiving daily meals – up from just 850 in 2017. The Foundation has also been able to provide support for communities affected by disasters, such as COVID-19, unrest and flooding.

Looking ahead, the DO MORE FOUNDATION is
planning to increase its community impact even
further in 2024 through partnerships – helping us
GROW WHAT MATTERS.